Rod support and holder



y 8, 1962 E. G. SILVER 3,033,502

ROD SUPPORT AND HOLDER Filed Sept. 9, 1960 Eugene 6. Silver INVENTOR.

3,033,502 I RGD SUPPQRT AND HGLDER Eugene G. Silver, 703 S. 13th St., Rogers, Ark. Filed Sept. 9, 1960, Ser. No. 54,994 3 Claims. ((ll. 248-38) This invention relates to an improved rod holder which is expressly, but not necessarily, designed and adapted to hold a fishing rod in an accessible ready-to-use position.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, practical and economical rod holder characterized by separable and connectible component parts which, when the parts are disconnected, permits carrying the same in a conventional tackle box.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rod holder having a novel socket member or receiver. This receiver is unique in that the rod may be easily inserted, clampingly held, and when the time comes to play a fish, may be quickly withdrawn and angled in the usual manner.

More specifically, the socket member, unlike prior art socket members, comprises a longitudinally extensible and contractible woven Wire basket. This basket is separably joined at its bottom to anchoring means, for exampie, a ground stake or a boat gunnel or wharf bracket. The openwork wire construction is such that the user may take his hand, press downwardly and radially expand the socket portion to expeditiously insert the rod handle. When he releases the pressure, the inherent resiliency of the interlaced wires causes the latter to resume their intended gripping position and the rod is securely clamped and held in the socket. Then, when the rod is to be removed for angling, the socket member is again pressed upon and expanded and the rod may be easily withdrawn and used.

Briefly summarized, the improved holder is character ized by a rod positioning and anchoring device or means which is constructed and adapted to be removably anchored on a relatively stationary support. This means may take the form of a ground stake, a boat clamp or the like. The holder proper comprises an elongated socket member, the receptacle or socket portion of which serves to telescopically receive the butt or handle of the rod in a manner to permit ready insertion of the handle for retention and ready withdrawal or removal when the angler desires to play the fish. Preferably, this holder is radially expansible and contractible and manually releasable. It is a self-gripping type which is normally distended lengthwise and automatically exerts a resilient grip on the rod.

The holder is more specifically an extensible and contractible woven wire basket-type socket member for telescopic reception and retention of the insertable and removable rod. The lower or bottom portion is connected to a novel coupling member.

The invention also features an internal end thrust cushioning spring which is fastened on the aforementioned coupling and which not only exerts endwise thrust on the rod to insure a better gripping action but has the additional function of an ejector to assist in removing the rod when the socket member has been squeezed down and radially expanded to release the gripping force.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of a rod holder constructed in accordance wtih the principles of the invention and showing how it is staked in the ground and readied for use.

I atent FIG. 2 is a view in side elevation similar to FIG. 1 and which shows the action of the hand in exerting downward pressure on the woven wire socket member whereby to enlarge it radially and to facilitate withdrawal of the rod.

FIG. 3 is a view in side elevation showing a fragmentary portion of the holder and illustrating a C-clamp functioning as the anchoring means.

FIG. 4 is a view in section and elevation wherein the details are clearly shown in assembled operating relationship.

FIG. 5 is a cross section which may be said to be taken on the line 55 of FIG. 4.

The aforementioned anchoring means may vary in construction. For example, the means primarily illustrated here comprises a pointed ground anchoring stake 6 having a screw-threaded upper end 8. This stake is employed in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Where the fishing is to be carried out from a boat or a wharf the anchoring means may take the form of a C-shaped bracket 10 (FIG. 3) having a clamping screw 12 and provided at one corner with a diagonal shank or rod 14 having a screw-threaded end 16 corresponding to the threaded end 8.

As already touched upon, the over-all construction is such that the parts may be separated to facilitate compact and convenient handling and storage and carrying in a tackle box. The socket member 17 is longitudinally extensible and contractible and radially expansible as is brought out in FIGS. 1 and 2. This type of a self-gripping wire basket or socket member is used in other arts and commonly referred to either as a tubular woven Wire basket or, as is more popularly the case, a cable grip. All that is necessary in the instant situation is to so construct the socket member or basket that the tension of the interwoven or interlaced wires is such as to assure a reliable grip and support for the fishing rod A and also to make sure that the resiliency and tension of the wire is such that one may place the hand in the position shown atop the upper end of the socket member, exert downward pressure and in this manner shorten and expand the basket or socket member sufficiently to either insert or remove the hand-grip B. In constructing this socket member the strands of wire 20 are bent between their ends to provide rounded 'bight portions 18 (FIG. 4), the wires 20 being interlaced or interwoven in a now generally well known manner. Thus, the socket member or basket is open at the top and the rounded upper ends 18 may be bent slightly outward in an oblique angled direction to facilitate gripping and using the same as illustrated in FIG. 2. The lower end portions 22 of the wire strands are anchored and fastened between an internally screwthreaded coupling or sleeve 24 and embraced by a ferrule or collar 26.

The threaded end 8 of the stake 6 or the rod 14 (the end 16) may be screwed into the sleeve thus coupling the anchoring means and socket member together for use. By unscrewing the parts they may be separated for convenient compact handling and storage.

The same sleeve or coupling serves to accommodate a screw-threaded end of a screw plug 28. This plug is screwed into position as shown in FIG. 4 and has a. screwdriver kcrf 30 to facilitate assembling and removal. The laterally bent terminal 31 of the lowermost or smallest convolution or coil of an expansion-type coil spring 32 is suitably secured to the plug by anchoring the same in the kerf 3%? in the manner shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. This spring is of a length to occupy the lower end ortion of the socket member in the manner illustrated. It serves as a cushion, also exerts an outward or lengthwise thrust on the handle insuring a secure grip when the parts are in the relationship shown in FIG. 2. Then, too, by inserting the handle in such a manner as to compress the coil spring, the spring is under greater tension and hence when the socket member is spread open as illustrated in FIG. 2 the closed spring may be utilized to serve as an ejector to facilitate removal of the rod with the users other hand (not shown).

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A holder for a fishing rod or the like comprising means adapted to be removably anchored on relatively stationary support means, a self-gripping socket member for telescopic reception and retention of an end portion of the rod having a lower end connected to said anchor ing means, and means mounted in said socket member to assist in ejecting and removing the rod from the socket member when the gripping force of the socket is intentionally released, said last named means comprising a rod-compressed rod ejecting end thrust coil spring fastened axially in place at the bottom of said socket member, said socket member embodying interlaced woven springy Wires constantly under lengthwise tension when gripping and clamping the rod, said wire being bendably resilient and such in strength that downward hand pressure applied atop the open upper end will depress and radially expand the socket member and will release the gripping forces, allowing the coil spring to come into play.

2. A holder for a fishing rod comprising, in combination, an anchoring member adapted to be joined with stationary support means, an elongated socket member for telescopic reception of a cooperating end portion of a fishing rod, said socket member embodying interlaced woven flexibly resilient cooperating wires constantly under lengthwise tension when clampingly gripping the embraced portion of said rod, such wires singly and collectively being of predetermined strength permitting the socket member to yield to applied hand pressure imposed at the open entrance and of the socket member whereby the wires are caused to expand radially to shorten the length of the socket member and increase the cross-sectional dimension of the receptacle portion when the socket memher is under hand pressure, the end of the socket member opposite to the open mouth thereof being rigidly connected to a cooperating upper end of the anchoring member whereby upon inserting anrend portion of the rod into the receptacle portion and releasing the pressure on the open end of the socket member said socket member is automatically distended causing the wires to securely embrace and grip the cooperating portion of the rod, and a coil spring of a length considerably less than the overall length of the socket member, said coil spring being axially disposed within the confines of that end of the socket member connected to the anchoring member, one end of said coil spring being fixedly joined to said anchoring member, said coil spring being adapted to be compressed when an end of the rod is caused to press against it, whereby the rod is then seated and cushioned, and whereby when the socket member is subsequently compressed by hand to release the rod, the coil spring automatically comes into play and serves to eject the rod and assists in quickly removing the rod from the socket member.

3. The structure defined in claim 2 and wherein the anchoring member comprises a rod having a threaded portion, a coupling screw-threaded and connected to said threaded portion, collar means on the coupling serving to secure adjacent cooperating ends of the Wires to the coupling, and a plug screwed into said coupling and projecting am'ally into the adjacent end portion of the socket member, at least one coil of the coil spring being fixedly joined to said plug. 1

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,577,612 Dees Mar. 23, 1926 2,204,692 Parisio June 18, 1940 2,414,358 Calway Jan. 14, 1947 2,523,942 Ciambriello Sept. 26, 1950 2,559,421 Garrett July 3, 1951 2,601,088 Burgess June 17, 1952 2,664,609 Kellerns Jan. 5, 1954 2,873,850 Ortegren Feb. 17, 1959 

